Monday, July 28, 2008

Relay For Life is the American Cancer Society’s signature activity. Teams of people camp out at a local high school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Relays are an overnight event, up to 24 hours in length.

Co-Captains - Phyllis and Nan

Relay For Life began in Tacoma, Washington in the mid-1980s by Dr. Gordy Klatt, a Tacoma colorectal surgeon who wanted to enhance the income of his local American Cancer Society office and to show support for all of his patients who had battled cancer. He decided to personally raise money for the fight by doing something he enjoyed – running marathons.

In May 1985, Dr. Klatt spent a grueling 24 hours circling the track at Baker Stadium at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma. He ran for more than 83 miles. That first year, nearly 300 of Dr. Klatt's friends, family, and patients watched as he ran and walked the course. Throughout the night, friends donated $25 to run or walk with Dr. Klatt for 30 minutes. His efforts raised $27,000 to fight cancer.

While circling the track those 24 hours, Dr. Klatt thought about how others could take part in his mission to fight cancer. He envisioned a 24-hour team relay event that could raise more money to fight cancer. Over the next few months, he pulled together a small committee to plan the first team relay event, known as the City of Destiny Classic 24-Hour Run Against Cancer.

Pirates Sandra and Stacy

Pirates Nan and Sandra

What it has taught me is that.....one person can make a difference. It was an awesome opportunity for me to participate for the second year in a row.

Survivor Lap - More and more each year!

Our Survivor friends - Phyllis, Sandy and Colleen

The most moving experience is the Luminaria ceremony held at dusk. I made one in Karen's memory and found one that someone had done for my Dad's friend, Roy Hill.

The Relay for Life in Eugene has now become one of the largest in the country and is held the last Friday of every July.

This year's theme......"Make A Million" inspired our team to put together a pirate ship along with pirate costumes for all the walkers. We all had a great time and raised almost $9500 (I personally raised $485).

Sunday, July 27, 2008

It's summer time in the NW! A perfect time to fire up the grill (notice the all-grill menu). I'll be cooking ribs on Sunday afternoon (I can't wait) - they are my summer favorite! Here is the menu for Rebecca Lane for this week. Check out more great menu plans HERE

Instructions:1. Prepare grill2. Combine mayo, yogurt, herbs and lemon juice in a small bowl, Cover and chill.3. Sprinkle salt and pepper on fish and place on a hot grill; grill 3 minutes a side (depending on thickness)4. To serve, top steaks with herb mayo

Friday, July 25, 2008

Date: Summer 1973/74Location: On the road to Reno, NV (my best guess)Who: Virginia (my gram) and her best friend Dorothy RossWhat: Two friends on one of their many road trips

I still remember the sound of Dorothy's voice. She was such a fixture in my life in the early 70's. She was my "playmate" and would be at my grandma's house in Eugene all the time. They bowled together, played cards together, drank screwdrivers together, gambled together and travelled to Reno frequently. They were best friends.

Dorothy will be one of the many people I think about today as I walk in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life at LCC in Eugene, Oregon.

PREPARATION:1. Cut off top of tomatoes and scrape pulp out of inside, leaving a firm shell. Add pulp to skillet with the bell pepper, zucchini, onion and jalapeno pepper. Cook covered over low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes.2. Add cooked rice and bacon and season to taste.

3. Stuff this back into the tomatoes and sprinkle with bread crumbs and shredded cheese.

4. Place tomatoes in a casserole or baking dish with about 1/4 cup of water to keep from sticking. Cook in oven at 425° for 15 to 20 minutes or until tomatoes are tender.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

I finally got to take Brian down to Canby for a BBQ at the Hygelund's last night.

Brian "snapping" beans and helping with the farmhouse dinner

Debi's famous farm fresh veggie ragu

Since Brian is rarely in town during the week and our weekends are so chaotic, it was a real treat to take him to Canby and show him the farm.

Debbie's garden is incredible. Her flowers are always so beautiful. She mentioned the cold weather early in the season has made it hard for some of her flowers to take off. Everything still looked wonderful. Brian was really impressed.They still have the chicken coop! And I brought home a dozen fresh farm eggs!The weather was pleasant.Noel Hygelund - 12 (13 in September)

Donna Hay is an Australian-based food stylist, author and magazine editor and one of the best-known names in cookbook and magazine publishing in the world. I stumbled upon this salad in the Oregonian a few years ago and have been serving it to friends and family even since.

DIRECTIONS:1. Put vinegar, butter and brown sugar in a pan over medium heat and cook until butter is melted and mixture begins to mix together and bubble.2. Place pears and hazelnuts in mixture and cook 5 minutes, turning pears once, coating with mixture.3. Place mixed greens on 4 plates, top with 2 slices of pear and ¼ of hazelnuts along with about a teaspoon of pan liquids. Top with blue cheese crumbles and serve.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Voted Portland's Best Restaurant of the Year for 2007, PokPok is something of a cult following. The lines for a Friday night began well before 6:00 (a good indication of something really good in the kitchen) so I was excited to experience what all of Portland has been talking about for almost 2 years.

PokPok isn't anything more than a take out shack with picnic tables and an indoor seating area that owner/chef, Andy Ricker added almost a year after he first introduced Portland to his take on SE Asian fare. It's still not very sophisticated, yet the food more than makes up for the ambiance. The Whiskey Soda Lounge (indoor seating) is small—with seating for around 30—"think" cozy without feeling claustrophobic. Decorated with stained-wood paneling, black booths and subdued-but-adequate lighting give the room a friendly, jazz-bar atmosphere. We sat outside in the setting sun - a perfect July night in Portland.

My favorite has to be the wings, which I devoured and then dreamt about the entire weekend - scheming about how I might get back for more.

Most of the food served at PokPok is meant to be eaten "family-style" with everyone sharing. The food is clean, small portions (which means a party of 4 can reasonable try 5-7 entrees) and exotic.

Each item had it's own signature spice - flavor; which set it apart from anything else on the table.

Most dishes are best when accompanied by rice: Northern and Northeastern Thai dishes with sticky rice, Central and Southern Thai dishes with Jasmine rice. In Thailand, only a spoon and fork are used: the spoon to eat with and the fork to push food onto the spoon. Some things are traditionally eaten with your hands.

The menu is so large that I believe to get a true sense of the food, you need to go back at least 2-3 times.

It was a hot day so we found a path down to a dock on the Willamette and spent a bit of time watching all the boaters. We caught a bit of a little league game in the park and I spent some time on the swings.We finished up our Saturday adventure at the Lake House, one of my favorite spots in Portland (Lake Oswego) for a chardonnay before spending a quiet, cool evening at Rebecca Lane.

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Happy Monday! I hope everyone is enjoying summer....spending lots of time outdoors and taking in all that sunshine (don't forget your sunscreen). It's All-Star Week (game on Tuesday) so we are grilling some beer brats and I am going to attempt some sort of baseball cupcakes. Let's hope they turn out better than the last ones. My Pop is also coming for a couple of days so I am really excited about that!

Saturday, July 12, 2008

"To love another person is to see the face of God." - Victor Hugo, Les Miserables, 1862

When: Thursday, July 10th 2008

Where: Broadway Rose Theater - Tigard, OR

Who: Brian, Stacy and Sandra

Les Misérables (translated from French as The Miserable Ones) is a novel by French author Victor Hugo. It follows the lives and interactions of several French characters over a twenty year period in the early 19th century that includes the Napoleonic wars and subsequent decades. Principally focusing on the struggles of ex-convict Jean Valjean, who seeks to redeem himself, the novel also examines the impact of Valjean's actions for the sake of social commentary. Hugo was inspired by the real-life criminal/policeman Francois Eugene Vidoq, and split his personalities into the two main characters in his novel as well as a couple of events in his own life.

Here is a local review from The Oregonian. This was the second time I've seen "Les Miz" (the first time was in London in 1994). Brian's read the book and Sandra is a season ticket holder of the Broadway Rose Theater - so we were all really excited about the show.

We loved it! Sang the songs in the car on the way home. It was a long performance (over 3 hours), but it was well worth the short sleep.

Friday, July 11, 2008

Date: Summer 1973Location: Backyard patio at "E" Street in Springfield, ORWho: Stacy, Anna (our beloved poodle), my Mom and Tinker Bell, Siamese (I believe Cinderella or "cinner" died the previous fall/winter when I was three).What: I know it's hard to believe but I remember this picture being taken. I also remember as a child spending the summer evenings in the back yard, eating dinner at my little kids table (Mom and Dad right there beside me with Gram Virginia too). My pets were my constant companions.

DIRECTIONS:1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.2. Arrange crust in a pie pan and flute edges. Line bottom of crust with mozzarella, cover with half the tomato slices, sprinkle with half the garlic, 1/3 of the salt and pepper and 1 cup bread crumbs.3. In a bowl, combine ricotta, remaining garlic, eggs, 1/4 cup Romano, basil, flour and half the remaining salt and pepper.4. Spoon over crumbs and top with remaining crumbs, layer on remaining tomatoes and sprinkle with remaining cheese, salt, and pepper.5. Bake at 350 degrees until puffed and golden (40-50 minutes).

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

We have a tradition over the 4th of July weekend to catch up with Sonja and Geoff down at the Seattle waterfront.

This tradition started back in 2004, the first summer Brian and I dated and continued last Sunday when we all met in the late afternoon for a final holiday weekend cocktail.

Over the years, we have bathed in the sun, witnessed a wedding, danced to the music playing from the adjacent pier and walked the entire length of the waterfront in search of cheaper parking. Our summer just wouldn't be complete without this event!